Before the Maze
by shuckinminewt
Summary: Minewt. This is a one-shot about Minho and Newt growing up together at the WICKED compound before the maze. A lot of fluff. Please enjoy.


**Disclaimer: The character's are Dashner's. I own nothing but the story line, and hardly that.**

 **This is a story about Minho and Newt growing up together. In this story I'm assuming the boys and girls from both groups grew up together at WICKED.**

* * *

All the kids were staring at Newt and his sister. She squeezed his hand and smiled at him. Of course, she's braver than him. She's hardly 4 and she's braver than Newt. But in Newt's defense, he's only 6 and he'd just been taken from his home for some reason.

A girl about his sister's age walked up to them and smiled. "I'm Harriet" she says to his sister. "Who're you?"

"They say my name is Sally" his sister says.

"Hi Sally" Harriet says "do you wanna come play?"

Sally glances at Newt as if asking a question. He forces a smile and nod. "See ya Newt, make some friends okay?" With that, she runs off to a group of girls.

Newt sighed and walked over to an empty table and put his head in his hands. He didn't know all these people and honestly he wasn't sure he wanted to. He started to think about his mum and dad and almost started crying. He was about to run out of the room and hide when he heard a voice. "Hey dude" some kid said, "you look sad."

He turned his head to see a tall Asian kid about Newt's age staring at him. "I'm not" he shot back.

The boy stared at him. "You talk funny" he said.

" _You_ talk funny" he said and the boy smiled. "This place is weird."

"Yea, I know" the boy said. "I've only been here for about a month. I don't really like it here, but my parents went loco and they said I'm special and if I came here I could help my parents."

Newt stared at his hands, embarrassed. "I'm not special" he said in a small voice. "They said my sister's special, but I'm not. But they said I can still help if I came here."

The boy stared at Newt for a long moment, looking confused. After what seemed like forever he said "what's your name?"

"They said my name's Newt now" he said.

"They say my name is Minho, but I wouldn't listen to them cuz they're dummies" he said and Newt smiled.

"Why?" Newt asked.

Minho flashed him a ridiculous smile and patted his shoulder. "Cuz you obviously _are_ special."

* * *

 _***7 years later***_

"Stop being a loser" Minho complained.

Newt simply rolled his eyes. "Bugger off, will ya?" he said, but he knows he won't.

"You always hide in here and do homework, just come hang out with everyone else! What harm will it do?" he says. Newt closes his book and sits up.

"It could do a lot of bloody harm" he mumbled, but Minho grabbed his arm and pulled Newt off the bed. He'd been trying to convince Newt to meet up with everyone else after curfew. Newt was hesitant, he knew people sneak out after curfew all the time, but he didn't want to. Newt wasn't the same kid he was when he first got here, but he's never forgotten what the WICKED officials told him about not being special like his sister. Most of the kids had nothing to lose if WICKED caught them out after in-room, but Newt wasn't special and they could kick him out any day.

Minho sighed and turned to grab his shoulders. He looked directly into Newt's eyes and the fight leaked out of him. "Just come, we'll have fun. You're 13, it's about time you start having fun" he said and Newt frowned. "I promise it'll be fun, just trust me okay?" He stared at him for a while. "You trust me, right?" Minho repeated.

Newt sighed. The obvious answer was yes, he did trust Minho, but he wasn't about to admit it. "Fine, but if I get in trouble I'll kick your arse" Newt said.

And somehow two hours later Newt found himself crammed into Harriet's room with Sally, Minho, Alby, and Sonya. He sat on the bed sandwiched between Sally and Minho. "Truth or dare Newt?" Sonya asked.

"Truth" Newt mumbled, and there's a collective groan.

Minho nudges Newt's side with his elbow. "C'mon" he says "you _always_ pick truth. Take a risk and pick dare."

"I'll pick dare next bloody time, alright?" Newt said and Minho rolls his eyes. "Are you guna ask me a buggin' question or not?"

"Fine!" Sonya says "who do you have a crush on?"

He sunk back against the wall. That was the most obvious truth question that's ever existed, and yet he was really hoping to avoid it. Truth was, he didn't know. Newt didn't really like any of the girls, which was weird since everyone else seemed to be crushing on each other.

He didn't _think_ he was crushing on anyone at least, but there was one thing he couldn't ignore. And that one thing was that a few months ago when his voice started cracking and his pits started to stink, _something else_ started to change too.

It wasn't _his_ fault. The dreams just _happened._ And it _really_ wasn't his fault that Minho was in these dreams. And it _really really_ didn't mean that he was crushing on Minho.

"Um... no one" Newt mumbled, but he knew he was blushing.

"Liar!" shrieked Harriet. "It's Beth, isn't it? That other day when you were studying with her and Minho you blushed practically the whole time!" That much was true, but not because of Beth. He was blushing because Minho was sitting with his thigh pressed against Newt's and a certain part of Newt wouldn't calm down. But once again, _not_ his fault. Despite that, he wasn't about to admit to that, so he decided it best to go with it.

"Uh- yea. It's Beth" he mumbled. Everyone either laughed or gasped at the admission, except for Minho. He glanced at Minho who was just staring, expressionless.

"You know dude, we should probably go" Minho said. "Don't wanna get angel-boy here caught out too late."

Newt elbowed him in the side. "Bugger off" he said "but I am bloody exhausted. Let's go." He got up out of the bed, Minho followed suite. "Night Sally" he added before pecking her on the cheek and walking out of the room.

Him and Minho sneaked back towards Newt's room, trying to remain as quiet as possible. They barely made it to Newt's door when they heard foot steps. Minho grabbed Newt and shoved him into the room. "Bloody hell Minho" Newt mumbled as he regained his balance.

"I ain't gettin' caught again!" Minho said before collapsing onto the ground. "I'll just sleep here tonight and sneak back to my room in the morning."

"Ugh- okay" Newt said as he silently prayed that he wouldn't have one of his frequent Minho dreams while Minho was on his floor. Newt crawled into his bed and curled up under his blankets. He tossed Minho a pillow and blanket.

"Thanks" Minho said with a yawn.

They were silent for a while, and Newt assumed Minho had fallen asleep, but then Minho spoke up. "Do you really have a crush on Beth?" he asked.

Newt stared at the ceiling and took a deep breath. "No" he said.

There was silence once again and Newt found himself wondering again if Minho was asleep. "Good" he said after a few minutes.

"D-do you have a crush on anyone?" Newt asked, afraid to hear Minho's response.

"Kinda" Minho said. "But I don't think I'm supposed to."

"What'd you mean?" Newt asked as he rolled onto his side to look down at Minho. Minho was lying on his back with his hands behind his head, staring expressionless at the ceiling.

"I dunno" Minho said as he curled up under the blanket, pulling it up to his chin. "I dunno" he repeated.

Newt didn't say anything for a long time. He followed Minho's lead and curled into a ball under the covers. "Neither do I" he whispered, not sure if Minho heard or not.

* * *

 ** _*Three years later*_**

"But _where_ are you going? And why can't I come too?"

"I don't bloody know, Minho" Newt said. "They said you'll come in a couple months. This is what we're here for, isn't it? To help. They said we'll help by going to this buggin' place."

"But they're taking like half of us and I don't get why I can't come with you" Minho said as he paced Newt's room.

"Minho, for the millionth time they said you can't bloody come with. We'll only be separated for a couple months," Newt said "then they'll take you where ever the bloody hell they're taking us and it'll be just like it is now."

"You don't know that!" Minho said as he threw his hands in the air.

"Min, you need to calm down! They're comin' to get me any minute" Newt said "and I don't feel much like talking about stuff I can't change, so if we could just say our bloody goodbyes that'd be great." Minho stared at him, looking incredibly sad. "Um... temporary goodbyes that is" Newt added.

Minho sighed and sat down on the bed next to Newt. He turned and looked Newt in the eyes. "You know you're my best friend right?" Minho said.

Newt smiled. "You ain't gettin' sappy on me, are ya?" he asked.

Minho rolled his eyes and placed a hand on Newt's shoulder, and Newt felt his heart rate pick up. "No idiot" Minho said with a smile. "I'm just trying to say goodbye, okay?"

"Okay" Newt said. "You're my best friend too, Minho."

"Good, and uh- uh, just in case things get screwed up or something and this is the last time we-" Minho started, but Newt cut him off.

"Minho, stop! We're not going anywhere bad! We're kids, they're not guna take us to bloody hell or anything!" Newt said.

Minho rolled his eyes again and stared into Newt's eyes. "I know, but listen to me for one second, will you?" he asked and Newt nodded. "Just in case we things get bad, I know they won't, but just in case..." Minho moved his hand from Newt's shoulder to his neck and rubbed his thumb of the back of his neck. Newt's heart was beating a million miles a minute.

"I just- I need to-" Minho said quietly, "I need to do it once." Minho leaned closer and placed his lips on Newt's. Newt's heart practically stopped. His insides exploded. This was what he'd been wanting since he was 13, and it was everything he'd hoped it'd be.

After a moment Minho pulled away and scanned his eyes across Newt's face as if trying to read his reaction. Newt smiled at Minho, and Minho let out a sigh of relief. "You don't know how buggin' long I've wanted you to do that" Newt said in a quiet voice.

"Me too" Minho said as he leaned in once again. Their lips had hardly met when there was a knock on Newt's door. Both boys jumped and parted.

A moment later, a WICKED official let himself into the room. "Mr. Newton, it's time to go" the man said.

"Can't I have a bloody minute?" Newt asked.

"I'm sorry Mr. Newton, but we are on a schedule" he said.

Newt stood up and looked down at Minho. He forced a smile, but Minho was simply frowning. "I'll see you in a couple months, alright?" he said, and Minho looked down at his feet.

Minho let out a long breath and finally glanced up and met Newt's eyes. "Right" Minho said, "a couple months and we'll be together again. We'll pick up where we left off and it'll be like those couple months never happened."

Newt smiled and nodded. The WICKED official gestured towards the door indicating they needed to leave. Newt and Minho exchanged one more long glance before Newt walked out of the room to face whatever WICKED had planned for him.

 _"It'll be like those couple months never happened."_

Little did Newt know, it would be like the past 16 years never happened.

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 **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what you thought!**


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